After her son died on his 21st birthday in 1998 from alcohol poisoning, Cynthia McCue sent birthday cards to her son Bradley's friends as they turned 21.
"It was very difficult for them," she said. "I sent them birthday cards to let them know I was thinking about them."
McCue started Be Responsible About Drinking Inc., or B.R.A.D., to educate people about drinking responsibly.
April marks the fifth anniversary of the organization's national Birthday Card Program.
The foundation sends out birthday cards to students before their 21st birthday, reminding them to be safe. It also explains Bradley's story and includes a wallet-sized card about alcohol poisoning.
The project started out locally six years ago with cards sent to MSU students and then expanded to include other schools in April 2000. More than 100 schools in 31 states, the District of Columbia and Australia now use the program.
McCue said she came up with the idea at a meeting with MSU officials six years ago.
Schools across the country heard about the birthday cards from e-mail list serves and newspaper articles and asked how to implement the program, McCue said.
With three people on staff, the organization is very small, program director Jasmine Greenamyer said.
"We've had schools come to us ... usually borne out of a tragedy that happened on their campus," she said.
Purdue University began the card program after two of its alumni became involved with the foundation and paid for the cards the first year.
"This is just making students a little bit more aware of their behavior, and in the process they're exhibiting a more protective behavior on their birthday," Tammy Loew, health advocacy coordinator at Purdue.
Purdue surveyed its students on the effectiveness of the program. About 13 percent said they drank less because of the card and about 66 percent said Purdue should keep sending out the cards.
In a 2001-02 survey of more than 1,700 MSU students, 22 percent said they thought about the card during their celebration and 98 percent said the program should continue.
Casey Ellison said the card did not affect her too much because she already had plans to celebrate responsibly.
"In all practicality, I don't think it makes that much of a difference," said Ellison, a senior in interdisciplinary studies in law and society.
